Washington
—
No oil was visible in the gauge on the right engine’s oil reservoir after a February Delta Air Lines flight filled with smoke during takeoff at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.
On February 24, the cabin of Delta Flight 876, a Boeing 717- 200 bound for Columbia, South Carolina, filled with smoke during takeoff.
A flight attendant in the back of the plane reported smoke was “coming out of all the vents.” In the front, another flight attendant saw smoke near the main door and told investigators it was so thick he “was unable to see past the first row of seats.”
The flight attendants tried to contact the cockpit, but smoke had already started to enter there and the pilots delayed responding so they could fly the plane and declare an emergency with air traffic control.
As the plane returned to the airport, a low oil pressure alarm for the right engine also sounded in the cockpit and the crew shut that engine down.
The pilots changed runways since they had trouble seeing due to the smoke and facemasks but safely landed and stopped on the runway where the plane’s emergency slides were deployed for passengers to evacuate.
Ninety-nine passengers and crew were on board and two passengers experienced minor injuries during the evacuation.
The NTSB investigation is ongoing. A probable cause of the smoke and any importance of the engine oil readings will not be determined until the final report is issued, which usually takes about a year.
